


Hong SiZhui (红思追)

by CrossoverCrazy (UzuSphere)



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Amnesiac!Kudou Shinichi, Crossover, Different Named!Kudou Shinichi, F/M, Hong SiZhui/Hong Yuan-is-Kudou Shinichi, Kudou Shinichi plays the guqin because i want to, Long-Haired!Kudou Shinichi, M/M, Martial Artist!Kudou Shinichi, Self Beta-ed, Shifu!Fon, Shimei!I-Pin, currently on hiatus, probable OOCness, semi-au, slowburn romance, the crossover story no one ever asked for (probably? i might be wrong), very slow updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-06-03 07:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19459198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UzuSphere/pseuds/CrossoverCrazy
Summary: When a young Kudo Shinichi is abducted by a mysterious underground organization, everything changes. Fortunately, he is saved by a wandering martial artist named Feng (風) who takes him in after discovering that he has lost both his memory and identity due to the traumatic experience.(Or was that the only reason to his amnesia?)(Detective Conan Magic Kaito (DCMK) x Katekyo Hitman Reborn (KHR) Crossover)





	1. prologue: red (1)

**_prologue:_ **

**_红_ **

**_hóng_ **

**_(red)_ **

**[1]**

* * *

_I used to think that red was simply a color. To describe something, like an object, food or a hair color._

_That thinking changed days after I got abducted._

_._

_._

_._

_Don’t misunderstand me, red **is** still a color, but I can never look at it the same way ever again._

_(I can still remember that bloodstained room –_

_**blood** everywhere **make** it **stop** stop **stop**_

_the **screams** are **everywhere** i **can’t** take **it** anymore_

_– the red that oozed from the open wounds that littered nearly_ _everywhere on my whole body made me both despise and fear it._

 **_I abhorred it._ ** _)_

**_._ **

_._

_._

_And then those feelings changed again._

* * *

_Skies have always been rare._

_It's a given that they would be the most coveted._

* * *

Kudou Shinichi is three when his parents bring him to a place very _very_ far from home. He is scared but in awe all the same. He sees his father and suddenly feels the urge to grab those weird circular things _(glasses?)_ on his father's face.

He waves and shakes with all the strength his tiny body can muster as he is cradled in his mother's arm.

"Oh? What is it, Shin-chan?" His mother asks, slightly baffled by his unusual - _oh,_ she gets it now.

She turns to her husband and holds out a hand while still securely carrying her precious child in the other. "Yuusaku, could you be a dear and lend me your glasses for a while?" She asks sweetly with a smile on her face.

"Hm? Okay?" He doesn't think much about it and hands it over to her without question.

"Here you go, Shin-chan~!" She happily gives it to her child to play with.

Shinichi beams with excitement as he turns the "strange thing" in his hands. The sides open and close repeatedly as he tries to figure out what it is. 

"Aah - Be careful with it, Shinichi!" His father pleads upon noticing where his glasses had gone to as he watches him play with it.

_Crack_

The ominous sound seems to break his father as he sees him holding those now-broken weird things in his father's hands.

He claps in delight, not understanding the situation, while his mother giggles.

_._

_._

_._

_(They are left in the dark that someone is watching their family very closely.)_

**TBC**


	2. prologue: red (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst warnings.

**_prologue:_ **

**_红_ **

**_hóng_ **

**_(red)_ **

**[2]**

* * *

_I used to think that red was simply a color. To describe something, like an object, food or a hair color._

_That thinking changed days after I got abducted._

_._

_._

_._

_Don’t misunderstand me, red **is** still a color, but I can never look at it the same way ever again._

_(I can still remember that bloodstained room –_

_**blood** everywhere **make** it **stop** stop **stop**_

_the **screams** are **everywhere** i **can’t** take **it** anymore_

_– the red that oozed from the open wounds that littered nearly_ _everywhere on my whole body made me both despise and fear it._

 **_I abhorred it._ ** _)_

**_._ **

_._

_._

_And then those feelings changed again._

* * *

_She always thought her little boy would be safe._

_Until he wasn't._

_Why did it have to happen to him?_

_She wept._

* * *

Kudou Yukiko pretends to smile but deep down she is hurting deeply. She tries to be strong for her husband who tries his best coordinating with the police in order to find their son.

_Where could he have gone?_

Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, but there is still no sign of Shinichi.

Her fears and anxieties slowly build up in her chest in the background, akin to a noose slowly tightening around her neck. She feels her body weakening and her legs collapse, no longer able to bear her weight. She coughs as if she is choking before she starts holding her throat as if she cannot breathe.

Tears spill out from the corner of her eyes. She can no longer control her emotions, breaking her facade of emotional strength.

_When can I see my baby again?_

.

.

.

In another part of the world, that same boy wishes dearly for his mother, his parents to come find him. He wants to be safe again in their arms.

_(In another universe, his parents **do** find him and he is mildly traumatised but is back with his family again. _

_However, this is **not** that universe.) _

The door to his cell suddenly opens. He does not dare to look up from his curled up form on the floor. He tries to make himself smaller against the wall as if to hide from "their" preying eyes. That does not work, _it never works._

He feels his body being pulled up by the arm. The strength to fight back against his captors leave him.

_What use was fighting back if it would only leave him with even greater scars? The pain was not worth it._

(He wants to fight back again if only to reignite his hope of eventually being saved but it's hard.

It hurts.

He's only a kid.

 _ **Why did they want him so bad?**_ )

He silently cries with blank-looking eyes _(he's slowly disassociating himself from the pain)_ as his captors _(those people in white lab coats)_ experiment on him again.

.

.

.

_**pain** is **too** much_

_i **scream** scream **because** there **is** nothing **else**_

_**why** did **this** happen **to** me _

**TBC**


	3. prologue: red (3)

**_prologue:_ **

**_红_ **

**_hóng_ **

**_(red)_ **

**[3]**

* * *

_I used to think that red was simply a color. To describe something, like an object, food or a hair color._

_That thinking changed days after I got abducted._

_._

_._

_._

_Don’t misunderstand me, red **is** still a color, but I can never look at it the same way ever again._

_(I can still remember that bloodstained room –_

_**blood** everywhere **make** it **stop** stop **stop**_

_the **screams** are **everywhere** i **can’t** take **it** anymore_

_– the red that oozed from the open wounds that littered nearly_ _everywhere on my whole body made me both despise and fear it._

 ** _I abhorred it._ ** _)_

**_._ **

_._

_._

_And then those feelings changed again._

* * *

_Dying Will Flames were an unusual phenomenon._

_It usually took a certain moment in time for it to happen._

_That moment being the will to truly defy death._

* * *

_"...you sure..."_

Kudou Shinichi wakes up hearing those people in white, more specifically, a man and a woman, talking to each other. His head and body feels heavy. He feels like he cannot move at all so he saves his strength, no matter how minuscule, to listen to what they are talking about.

They were foreigners and often spoke in another language but on a lucky occasion, he would find them speaking his home tongue. 

_"Of course I'm sure! One of our spies reported that he had dormant Sky flames!"_

The woman growls in frustration. _"Of course, of course! I'm just annoyed that the brat hasn't awakened it yet considering the many near-death trials we've performed on him. That brat's pretty annoying."_

 _"He's pretty strong for a little guy. It's already been nearly seven months since our organization abducted him."_ The man replies.

Shinichi could practically hear the annoyance in the woman's voice as she speaks again, _"Don't tell me you admire this brat?"_

The man laughs in response. _"Of course not! It just means we need to try even harder. I look forward to the day he finally activates those beautiful orange flames."_

_"Yes, yes, and then we can finally move forward with the plan."_

He suddenly feels a sinking feeling in his gut. It has already been seven months since his disappearance and his parents still haven't managed to find him. Will he forever remain a pitiful toy in the clutches of this people?! He doesn't want that!

 _"It seems the boy is awake, shall we start our next experiment?"_ The woman asks.

Oh no! She noticed!

He feels his strength slowly returning and tries to struggle underneath the straps that bound him on the surgical table. However, it is no use. He frantically looks around and spots the man approaching him while holding a giant needle in his hand. The red color of the liquid inside it makes him freeze. 

_red **red** red **red** red **red**_

The color is unmistakable. It reminds him too much of blood and the "other" room. _That_ bloodstained room.

_**blood** blood **blood** blood **blood**_

The man walks closer and closer with the syringe in hand. A frightening smile on his face.

Shinichi wants to scream but nothing comes out of his mouth. He doesn't want to experience that excruciating pain again. He continues to tremble in fear as his eyes dart to the other side where the woman stares at him as if he is nothing but a lab rat. An animal to be experimented on again and again. 

He looks back to the man who now stands right in front of him with the needle right in front of his eye. The man looks ready to stab him.

_**D** o **N't CoM** e **N** e **Ar M** e **!**_

There is a sudden warmth he feels in his body. It seems ready to burst out from within.

 _ **"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!"**_ He cries out loudly once he finds the strength to shout.

Orange flames blaze out from his body and all he hears are pained screams as he drifts off to the abyss.

.

.

.

_(I don't want to die yet.)_

_(I want to see Kaa-chan again.)_

_(I want to see Tou-chan again.)_

_(I want to see Agasa-sensei again.)_

**_(I want to see my family again!)_ **

.

.

.

The orange flames blazing around the building is unmistakable.

The baby in red robes knows what these flames are. 

He only hopes he isn't too late. 

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've noticed that I didn't mention Ran in his thoughts, it was intentional. His abduction happens before he meets her.


	4. prologue: red (4)

**_prologue:_ **

**_红_ **

**_hóng_ **

**_(red)_ **

**[4]**

* * *

_I used to think that red was simply a color. To describe something, like an object, food or a hair color._

_That thinking changed days after I got abducted._

_._

_._

_._

_Don’t misunderstand me, red **is** still a color, but I can never look at it the same way ever again._

_(I can still remember that bloodstained room –_

_**blood** everywhere **make** it **stop** stop **stop**_

_the **screams** are **everywhere** i **can’t** take **it** anymore_

_– the red that oozed from the open wounds that littered nearly_ _everywhere on my whole body made me both despise and fear it._

 ** _I abhorred it._ ** _)_

**_._ **

_._

_._

_And then those feelings changed again._

* * *

_A tall nondescript building._

_Together with the countless bodies inside it._

_Burned down until only ashes and burnt corpses were left._

**_Was it worth burning it down?_ **

* * *

_Huh?_

The smell of smoke and something burning are what Shinichi wakes up to. He finds the room that he was locked in burning. The restraints and the white cloth that he wore over his body were burned off. He cannot help but wonder what had happened when he lost consciousness but he knows that he should leave while he still can. He jumps down from the surgical table and looks around hesitantly, looking for something to cover his body with, but instead finds two burnt corpses on the floor.

He feels a chill run through his body.

_What exactly burned them to death?_

He decides to get out of the room while he still can, not caring anymore that he was still naked. He runs out through the door but finds himself stumped, there were two paths that he could take but he didn't know which path would lead outside. Suddenly, the ceiling of the left side collapses and his path has been decided. He runs through the right hallway while it still hasn't been destroyed.

He keeps on running, looking for a way out. But as his arms and legs move back and forth, he notices something odd. 

_Why does it seem like the flames are moving away from me?_

It is mere speculation and he wonders momentarily if he is imagining it. He shakes his head in denial. _It couldn't be._

.

.

.

By some miracle, Shinichi manages to find an open door leading outside. He runs outside to the open grounds and takes a big breath of fresh air. _I've managed to escape!_ He thinks in relief and feels the strength leave his body. Taking a look at the burning building behind him, he thinks it won't take long before the building and all its inhabitants are destroyed by fire.

He pauses, suddenly remembering something. _Inhabitants..._ His eyes widen as he remembers that he wasn't the only one being experimented on in the building. His memory may be a bit hazy because of all the experiments they did on him but he won't forget those brief glimpses into other rooms of those also being experimented on. If he remembers correctly, there were other children as well.

Were they able to escape?!

He trembles as he hugs himself in comfort. Since he was able to escape, they _should_ have been able to escape as well, _right?_

_Huff huff_

He hears heavy panting and the sound of someone running and dragging something, coming from the same door he came out from. Reluctantly, he turns around and finds a dark-haired man wearing a lab coat. The older man isn't alone. Hanging from his arm was an unconscious blonde-haired man. 

Shinichi is definitely in trouble. He cannot move.

The dark-haired man sees him immediately. _"It's you!"_ He yells in another language as he drops the other man on the ground without a care in the world. Staggering over to him with his hands outstretched, he continues to yell.

 _"You're the one who did this!"_ He accuses as he knocks Shinichi to ground, and tries to strangle him in anger.

"I-I don't know what you're saying!" He shouts at the man while trying to pry the man's fingers off.

 _"Tch. Japanese?"_ The man clicks his tongue in frustration. "I said it was your fault that this fire started! There! Understand me now, boy?"

"W-What do you me - _Ack!_ " Shinichi stammers but gets cut off when the man strengthens his grip on his neck.

"Just as I said." The man deigns to explain while loosening his grip on Shinichi's neck as if deciding that it was best to explain things to him before killing him off. "It's your fault that the building is burning. The flames came from you after all."

"I-I don't get it. How could those f-flames have come from me?"

The man loosens his hold entirely and throws his head back as he laughs. "Why do you think we had you abducted in the first place? It wasn't by chance, you became our target the moment it was discovered that you had dormant Sky dying will flames! _Hah -_ active Sky dying will flames is more like it!" 

"Sky dying will flames?" Shinichi feels dread piling up slowly in his chest. _Dying will?_ "What does that mean?"

The man stops laughing and gives him a malicious grin as he points behind him with his thumb. "See those orange flames blazing wildly behind me? They're sky flames and they're **_yours._** Your flames became active the moment you had the resolve to truly defy death!"

_Mine? Those flames are mine? I was the one who burned the corpses of those two scientists? It's my fault that the building is on fire?_

Caught in inner turmoil, Shinichi is unaware as the man reaches out to choke him again. He feels his consciousness quickly weakening.

_I'm just so.... **tired.**_

_._

_._

_._

_The red clothing of the baby who saves him is what catches his attention and brings the young boy named Kudo Shinichi out of the brink of unconsciousness._

_The baby easily knocks down the man unconscious with his kick and a few jabs to the face and chest._

He just feels so exhausted by everything that has happened to him.

_"Are you alright?" Surprisingly, the baby's voice sounds more like an adult man's voice._

_"I-I'm okay. Thanks for saving me." He replies._

_Somehow, he knows it is safe now. The baby in red is not his enemy._

**(red** comfortable **notenemy** safe _ **sleep**_ )

_He just wants to sleep and **forget** **everything.**_

_Kudo Shinichi can rest now._

_._

_He enters a deep sleep into the abyss._

_._

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo.....yeah. Here is the next update. Notice how it's longer now? That means I'm almost at the end of the prologue...probably? Hehehe
> 
> P.S. I just wanted to let you know that there's a bit of stuff going in the background of each chapter that I did not write out on purpose. Can you guess what it is?
> 
> (It's also a reason of why Shinichi loses his memories. *wink*)


	5. prologue: red (5)

**_prologue:_ **

**_红_ **

**_hóng_ **

**_(red)_ **

**[5]**

* * *

_I used to think that red was simply a color. To describe something, like an object, food or a hair color._

_That thinking changed days after I got abducted._

_._

_._

_._

_Don’t misunderstand me, red **is** still a color, but I can never look at it the same way ever again._

_(I can still remember that bloodstained room –_

_**blood** everywhere **make** it **stop** stop **stop**_

_the **screams** are **everywhere** i **can’t** take **it** anymore_

_– the red that oozed from the open wounds that littered nearly_ _everywhere on my whole body made me both despise and fear it._

 ** _I abhorred it._ ** _)_

**_._ **

_._

_._

_And then those feelings changed again._

* * *

_A boy is taken._

_Leaving his only family behind._

_He forgets._

_And awakens without those precious memories._

* * *

It is quiet, but the faint sound of water flowing could still be heard. Leaves rustling and birds chirping are loud enough to hear even through the wooden doors. The sleeping form of a young boy could be seen lying on a wooden couch bed with intricately designed railings. He opens his eyes, revealing a blue that could be likened to a _lapis lazuli_ stone. He takes a deep breath before gently taking his time to sit upright, causing the duvet to fall off his body.

He feels a slight migraine coming and clutches his head with his right hand in support.

It recedes just as quickly as it comes. He lets go of his head.

 _Odd._ He thinks before looking around. 

Everything is unfamiliar in structure. He does not know this place yet he knows it is safe. 

He does not react when he hears footsteps approaching the room he resides in. The door is opened to reveal a baby in red clothing. A small white monkey sits upon the baby's head. He takes it as it is and makes no comment about it.

_( **Red.** )_

_(He **is** safe **safe** safe)_

The baby is slightly surprised seeing him awake but his face is replaced with relief. "It's good you're finally awake." The baby says as he walks towards him.

 _(He knows that a baby speaking with an adult voice is abnormal but with him just waking up, he decides to not think much too deeply on the matter.)_

He hops onto the mattress and takes a seat. "My name is Fon and the monkey on my head is named Lichi. May I ask what is yours?"

"My name is - " He is cut off by another migraine. 

_**Ẅ̴͚̬̮̟̬̲̳͕͚͍́̍͆̇̏̀̋̌̃̈́̾̓̃͘͠h̷̛̳̥͎͎̟̊̓͐͑̾̔́̉o̶̝̽̑̉̍̓̑́̃̐͆̿̌ ̴̡̡̨̛̖̤̗̹̙̣̦̱͎̳̩̟̇̋̔̈́̃̄͒̏̋̈́̽͜͝͝ä̷̢̡̡̛̪̩̗͖͍̮͔̘̼́̂̍̋̽̿̈́̿̾͠ͅm̴̢̨͔̹̯̻̝͔̦̰̰͓̹̞͂̃ͅ ̸̧͔̩͍̻͉̝̪̲̦͕̮̩̖͍͕̯̃̒̍̄͛̈́̽̔̈́̅̃͐̽I̵̛̞̪͕͙̳̻̟͉̮̜̠̩͊̃̈͆̈́͂͌̅̄͜?̶͔̭̠̤̰̠̿̑̎̓̈̇̎̎̋̿̀̄̾** _

__

_It hurts! It hurts!_ He wants to scream as he holds his head through the pain. _I don't want to remember anymore! Make it stop!_

A small hand on his own drags him out of his thoughts. He blinks in surprise and turns to look at Fon. Surprisingly, the mind-breaking pain disappears as well.

"It seems that asking for your name hurts you. I apologize." Fon says apologetically.

The boy immediately shakes his head. "No, no, no! The pain was because..." He drifts off.

"Because?" 

He sighs before continuing his sentence. "Its because I can't seem to remember my name."

"How about where you live?" Fon asks.

Before the boy can even attempt to try and remember, the same mind-breaking pain arrives and he stops before it can get worse. He shakes his head and looks down downheartedly.

"No good. I can't remember either."

"Can anything else come to mind?" The baby asks softly.

"There's nothing else." He begins to sob. "Does that mean I can't go home anymore?" Tears spill out from the corner of his eyes. "I don't even remember my own name!"

" _Ai ya! Ah-Feng, what did you say to the little dumpling that caused him to cry?_ " A feminine voice speaks up, causing both of the two's attention to turn at the older lady standing by the open door with a tray of tea in her hands. 

Only, the baby is the only one who understands what she says while the boy does not.

 _"Shifu, this boy cannot understand what you're saying."_ Fon tells her. _"He only speaks Japanese so I think it would be better if you switched languages."_

 _"Alright, alright. No need to fret."_ She says before switching to Japanese. "Can you understand me now, little boy?"

"U-Un!" The amnesiac boy answers hesitatingly. 

The woman smiles endearingly as she approaches them, still with the tray in hand. She sets it down on the small table at the side of the boy's bed before pouring out a cup for him. She hands him the cup of freshly brewed tea.

"Be careful now, it's still hot so it would better to blow on it to cool it down." She says as he accepts the cup from her hands. He nods, slightly abashed, and does as she suggests before taking a sip of it. The reaction is immediate and he tries to control it to no avail.

"Now that you've had a sip, tell me what you think of it?"

The boy hesitates.

"Go on, don't be shy. I won't be mad at what you say."

He glances at Fon who has now poured out a cup for himself and his animal partner Lichi. The baby notices this and nods at him encouragingly.

"I-It's kind of bitter."

She pauses for a bit and then laughs. "Of course it's bitter! It _is_ medicinal tea after all. You should finish it since it's good for your body."

"Okay..."

While the boy drinks his tea, she takes the initiative to introduce herself. "My given name is Wen Xin while my courtesy name is Wen YuLing. I'm the martial arts master of this baby here." She says while holding out her hand to Fon.

"Do you mean Fon-san?"

An eyebrow is raised at what he asks. She holds onto her hips and huffs in frustration. "Did he simply introduce himself to you just like that?" She gives an irritating glance to Fon before her features smoothen out as she turns to look at him again. "That's just his nickname when he's out of the country. His real name is Hong Feng, his courtesy name being Hong ZiYou."

Wen YuLing pauses upon noticing the boy acting nervously. "Is something the matter?"

He looks up from his hands to stare at her. "Why do you have two names, Wen-san?"

"Oh! Call me YuLing-sensei instead, I'm more used to that kind of address since I'm a part-time teacher." She corrects him as she takes a seat on his bedside just like her student. "You're wondering what's the use of a courtesy name since I already have a given name, right?"

She reaches out to ruffle her fingers through the boy's hair and his rather remarkable cowlick. "Normally in this modern age, the usage of courtesy names is very rare, almost to the point of non-existent. However, being raised in a martial arts clan with such traditional rules, it was normal for me. So I grew used to the idea of having a courtesy name by which the public knows me as even though it's very different for nearly all of the people here in China who now only have their given names." She grins. "Basically, it's tradition."

Wen YuLing turns to stare at her student now. "As for Ah-Feng, since he learned under me from a very young age, I decided to give him his courtesy name during his coming-of-age ceremony when he had turned sixteen as per the rules in my clan. Unfortunately, because of his stubborness, he refuses to use it and instead calls himself Fon which was based off from his given name Feng meaning "wind"."

She huffs in slight frustration but then relaxes afterwards.

A bright wide smile suddenly covers her face as if she had reached an epiphany. "Little dumpling," she turns to address the nameless boy, "Since you can't remember anything and is currently missing a family, why not join ours? You can be Ah-Feng's son and I'll be your grandmother. In return, we'll give you a name for yours to take until you can remember what it really is! What do you think?"

"Shifu! Are you sure about this?" Fon suddenly interjects.

She shushes him. "Of course I'm sure about it!"

Fon reluctantly accepts her decision and keeps quiet as the boy thinks.

"Can I ask what Fon-san's surname means?" The boy asks in curiosity. 

"Hong has the character for the color "red"." She answers helpfully. "As for mine, Wen means "literature", it's perfect since a lot of people in my clan had been scholars at one point."

He remains silent for a moment as he takes in what she says. In the end, he decides that becoming a part of their family is better than remaining simply as a nameless amnesiac. He chooses Fon-san's surname as his own because it was the baby's red that had saved him.

.

.

.

_They name him Hong Yuan._

Hong as in "red" and Yuan as in "hope or desire".

(It remains as a reminder that the boy continues to have the hope that he will remember his past.) 

**end of prologue**

**TBC**


	6. chapter one: to teach (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Italicized words" - Mandarin/Other language  
> "Non-Italicized words" - Japanese/Home Language

**_chapter one:_ **

_**训** _

**_xùn_ **

**_(to teach)_ **

**[1]**

* * *

_There are times when one feels unworthy of teaching._

_They may feel like they had made a mistake._

_Or that they may go wrong._

.

.

.

_It is a good thing that Hong Feng is not alone._

* * *

It starts off simple.

With Hong Yuan just having recently lost his memories and suddenly getting a new family, as well as having occasional echoes of pain of being hurt and experimented on, it is a given that he would still be very skittish amongst people.

Except...maybe around a certain Storm Arcobaleno baby.

.

.

.

 _"Shifu, I know that I decided to reluctantly accept your decision to offer the boy a family. But was it right to make me his father figure?"_ Hong Feng asks his own master in a conflicted tone. He makes a fist and then releases it, staring at his own hand with a grim look. _"Just look at my body, it's so small that I doubt I'll be able to protect or teach him anything seriously. I feel that I will only let him down in the future."_

He doesn't hear her answer and looks up to see why.

He finds Wen-shifu sipping her tea silently on the side. _"Shifu?"_ He says tentatively.

Wen YuLing stops drinking and places her tea on the small wooden table in front of her. She gives him a nonchalant smile in return. _"Ah-Feng, I know you have seen the hurt in his eyes, don't continue to pretend being blind to it. You have hurt_ _him."_

He winces at her words.

 _"I know you have many troubles regarding that body of yours as well as those plaguing mental troubles, but you should be more confident of yourself. Let me ask you,"_ she stares at him with narrowed eyes. _"Who was it that saved the boy's life with that same tiny body of yours? Who was it that has been teaching him characters just recently but has made quite an impact to him that he's learning very hard, and excelling at that?"_

Hong Feng does not speak but eventually crumbles in front of his master's stare. _"I - I only managed to save him at the last minute. He had already managed to leave the burning building before it fully collapsed on him...and the rest came from his abilities..."_

 _"You fool!"_ She shouts angrily. _"You did save him! You were the one who taught him what he knows now! Nothing else will change that fact!"_

She stands up from her chair and marches towards him. Reaching her hand out to grab his shoulder, his body flinches instinctively as if remembering all her death-defying training. He manages to control his reaction in time and calms himself down. He hears her sigh. _"Besides, haven't you seen the way Ah-Yuan looks at you? He may not remember what happened there in that burning building but he trusts you. He trusts you very deeply."_ He sees her place her hand on his chest. _"I can sense that he has started to bond with you."_

She smiles at him gently. _"I know you feel uneasy about caring for a child but remember that I, your shifu, is here to help you. You are not alone. And besides, how can you make progress with him if you fear yourself of not being enough for him?"_

 _"Remember, **xún xù jiàn jìn**." _She adds as she pats his shoulder reassuringly.

.

**循序渐 进**

**( A j o u r n e y o f a t h o u s a n d m i l e s b e g i n s w i t h a s i n g l e s t e p . )**

.

Her pale green eyes suddenly flicker behind him, causing his attention to change. He looks behind himself to find the boy right in front of the partially open wooden door. Hong Yuan looks to be hiding but the side of his body is still seen. 

_"_ _You must reach out to him just as he himself tries to reach out you."_ She says, holding onto both of his shoulders. _"Distancing yourself from the boy will only hurt you both in the long run. Apologizing to him is a must as well."_

He releases a sigh before turning to look at his master again; she releases her grip on his tiny shoulders in return. He then stands up and bows down to her respectfully.

_"I understand now. Thank you for your words of wisdom, shifu."_

She smiles and waves at him happily. 

Hong Feng nods and then moves, together with Lichi jumping on his head for a ride. 

It was time for him to change and take action.

* * *

_**Past** _

* * *

Hong Yuan is happy...yet at the same time he is not.

He appreciates that his foster father is taking time to teach him their country's words and characters, but there are instances he can sense _bàba - no,_ he meant, _Feng-shifu's_ discomfort of being alone with him. There are times when his shifu thinks that he isn't looking that he sees him frowning.

**.**

> (He already remembers that one time he tried to called Feng-shifu " _bàba_ ", it did not only make his foster father flinch back as if he had been struck but it had also cost him a few days of silence. Only when he had called the not-baby "shifu" did they speak to each other again albeit very distantly.
> 
> _"Call me shifu and nothing else."_ He remembers distantly those words the Arcobaleno baby said that very day he accepted grandmother's offer.
> 
> He felt like a fool.
> 
> It was then that Hong Yuan vowed to himself not to call Feng-shifu _that_ ever again.
> 
> If only not to experience that period of isolation again.
> 
> _I don't want to be hated by him._ )

**.**

He wonders if he has made a mistake but quickly shakes his head. Feng-shifu would have already told him if that was the case.

Then... _was it because of his presence?_

He shakes his head again. _It couldn't be_... _but then again, Xin-nainai was the one who asked me out of the blue to become a part of their family._ He looks down, feeling sad and conflicted at the same time. _Maybe...he didn't want to take care of me but only did so because grandmother asked him to._

"Is something the matter, Hong Yuan?" He hears Feng-shifu ask.

_(There it was again, Shifu only called him Hong Yuan, never Ah-Yuan like Xin-nainai liked calling him or at the very least a nickname. Shifu was always so distant with him. What did he do ever wrong?)_

Hong Yuan looks to his foster father immediately and shakes his head. "Um...I'm just a bit confused by this character here." He points out to one of the characters on the paper in front of him. "Could you please explain it to me again?" He asks, faking a smile.

"It's no problem." He sees the baby give him a smile and moves towards the word he was pointing at. "This word means..." Feng-shifu explains and he nods back absent-mindedly.

 _I'll just work harder then so that he won't think of me as a burden!_ He thinks determinedly.

.

.

.

Weeks later, Hong Yuan wonders if everything he has done to try and please Feng-shifu was worth it. He studied very hard to learn his characters as well as help around the house in order to not be a burden. It was all he could do currently anyway.

Dispirited, he listlessly walks around his grandmother's prized garden. However, the harmonious ambience his surroundings exuded, made him eventually feel at peace. 

_"I should calm down."_ He mumbles to himself and takes a breath to calm himself down.

_How can I make shifu accept me? I don't want to remain like this with him forever...Maybe I should go ask grandmother._

With a new goal in mind, he heads to his grandmother's reading room.

He walks quietly just as he had been taught and was about to knock on the partially open door when he suddenly hears his grandmother shout.

 _"You fool!"_ He hears her shout. He takes a sneak peek inside to find her talking to his foster father. The rest of their talk continues and he finds it unintelligible because the rest of the words exchanged were still unknown to him.

 _Shifu feels uneasy of taking care of me?_ He thinks as he takes in what he understood from their words. _I knew it..._

Unbeknownst to him, he doesnotice that his master is now walking towards him, intending to confront him.

* * *

_**Present** _

* * *

_"Hong -"_ Hong Yuan hears a pause and then a sharp exhale. _"Ah-Yuan."_ He finds his foster father in front of him and looking at him with a guilty look in his face. _"Can we talk?"_

(H-He called me Ah-Yuan! Does that mean he's willing to accept me?)

 _"Y-Yes, shifu."_ He nearly mumbles out his response.

 _"Thank you. Let's move to the garden then."_ Feng-shifu says.

**TBC**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> baba - father  
> nainai - grandmother  
> shifu - master  
> shipo - female grandmaster/martial grandmother

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Kudo Shinichi will be known as Hong SiZhui (红思追)/Hong Yuan (红愿) for a long time and even when he does learn of his true identity, it will still take him some time to get used to his birth name. 
> 
> Additionally, if you are a reader/watcher of the donghua (Chinese version of Anime) Mo Dao Zu Shi or Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation in English, you may have noticed that I used both the given and courtesy name of one of its characters. A disciple and adopted son of the two main characters named Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian. Anywho, the name seemed fitting because Sizhui (思追) means "to recollect and long for" which referred to his deep down desire to know of his past before he became his master's disciple. 
> 
> Truthfully I would have used Lan (蓝) which means "blue" as his surname but changed it last minute because it didn't seem right anymore since he would be wearing a lot of red in this story plus his master (shifu) and junior sister (shimei) both wear red (it's like a connection between all three of them, you see?).


End file.
